Yes, it's a repost and, unless they did actually built a functional prototype after the fact that I'm not aware of, it was a conceptual, non-functional styling exercise... not a rideable tandem... despite what was written in the article you linked to.

I'll go with the first source documenting that the bike actually was ridden, rather than your standard: [I]Whether you were aware of it.

You're more than welcome to believe anything that you want.

I chose to believe what Mark Cote, who previously worked at Specialized, noted regarding the Specialized Shiv Tandem that I came on across while doing research and fact-finding on this concept back in December of 2009, when the photos, videos and story first came out. You can find the quoted text below in Mark's posting on Dec 15th at this link: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2626724

Quote:

“Awesome model from the Specialized design master, Robert Egger. Robert worked on this concept piece for a couple of years and finished it last spring. Pretty killer concept bike. You can see how concepts like the fork on this bike have made it into real bikes (like the Shiv).

Mostly made of alloy, wood, bondo, and paint but looks ready to race.”

If Robert Egger somehow re-made the bike before it was shipped off to Eurobike and/or October of 2010 when Tony Farrelly wrote his piece on the Shiv tandem, as I said... that's news to me: I try to stay up on tandem-related things a bit more than the 'average bloke' who has a passing interest in tandems.

I'd LOVE to learn that they actually did make a rideable prototype with a shaft drive and all of the other things represented in the concept bike. So, by all means, if you can find any documented evidence that the Shiv Tandem has been ridden please share it.

I wonder how much "fact finding" the "journalist" did wrote that did? Another "stiff but compliant" post with in my opinion, with no attempt to do anything but post what was issued by the manufacturer. Not even the name of "the bloke" that rode the tandem." At least TandemGeek makes an attempt to check the facts.

Personally I think the article and video may be a joke made up on the spot in an attempt to be funny. By the way 14% is about once a week if you ride daily.....

I have to say that when I first saw this "Shiv" bike (I believe that this name refers to a hand-made knife/weapon in prison parlance), I was a bit skeptical about any kind of shaft drive that would fit into the bottom tube! I think that the "bloke" who spoke on the video had his tongue very much in his cheek, and perhaps we Yanks are not accustumed to dry British humor! I also know better than to question anything that TG has to say about tandems!

Would be nice if the Shiv represented a glimmer of interest from Specialized in re-entering the tandem market. If Specialized could have a Roubaix SL3 tandem carbon frame in 3-4 sizes made in their Taiwan/Chinese factories, selling for about $4-5,000 (a Roubaix SL3 half-bike frame sells for $2000). They could fill a tandem chock full of Specialized components (including the cranks, wheels, bars, seats, tires, etc.), and make money on the whole bike. Their dealers might like having something like that available. A nicely made and equipped carbon frame tandem that anyone could just check out and order from their local Specialized LBS would be a boon to the popularity of tandems.